Frame construction is a quick and efficient method of constructing inner and outer walls in structures. Frames generally are formed with vertical members called studs that are joined to upper and lower horizontal members.
Traditionally, studs were made of wood, usually 2′×4″ or 2″×6″ dimensional lumber. In North America, studs are typically placed 16 inches from each other's center, but sometimes also at 12 inch or 24 inch intervals. Steel studs are gaining popularity, especially for non load-bearing walls. Typically, panels, siding or other types of wall materials and sheeting are secured to the frame via screws, nails, or other specialty fasteners to the studs. However, non-planar framing may result in stress cracks and uneven or bowed surfaces in the joined panels, siding or other wall materials.
Fiber cement (FC) siding most often includes overlapping horizontal boards, imitating wooden siding, clapboard and imitation shingles, or large panels simulating tongue and groove or board and batten applications. Fiber cement siding is also manufactured in a sheet form and is used not only as cladding but is also commonly used as a soffit/eave lining and as a tile underlay on decks and in bathrooms. Fiber cement siding is not only used as an exterior siding, it can also be utilized as a substitute for timber fascias and bargeboards, especially in high fire risk or prone areas.
Siding or cladding materials, due to the material cost or manufacturing methods, are often thin and typically brittle or fragile. The thin nature of siding and cladding materials results in the siding materials conforming to the planar conditions of the framing. This can result in building stress into the applied panel. In addition to fiber cement, thin panels may be formed from laminated and composite wood materials, and panels formed from polymer resins. Siding materials can also be formed from steel, aluminum and ultra violet light resistant polyvinyl chloride. Despite the fragile nature of the aforementioned siding materials, attachment studs with widths that typically range from between 1¼-inch to 2-inches provide a very small ‘target’ to match and align the butt ends of the panels formed from the siding materials. With thicker, less brittle panels, such as cedar siding, a nail or screw can be installed at an angle into the stud, minimizing the problems created by the narrow stud; however, this cannot be done consistently with thinner and brittle panels. When securing to steel studs, the screw cannot be installed at an angle. The screw must be installed perpendicular to the stud to effectively penetrate the steel stud. A screw installed at an angle will not cut or pierce the steel to penetrate the section of steel. Also, if a stud is out of alignment or the panel has been mis-cut, there is insufficient bearing for the two panels to be secured to a single stud. The problem is compounded by the thin nature of the panel and the need for the head of the fastener to be flush with the surface of the panel, which requires the use of a countersunk head screw, typically with ‘burrs’ or ‘wings’ under the head to bore into the relatively hard and brittle panel to sink the head flush with the panel surface. The boring weakens the panel at a critical point since the butt edge attachment is very close to the edge.
The problems associated with the thin and brittle nature of certain panels are compounded when attached to a series of studs in a frame that are not planer. When a stud is not planer to panel, there is additional stress as two adjoining panel members are forced into alignment, which creates stress at both panel edges of the adjoined panels. Furthermore, even if a stud is planer to the outer face, the face of the stud can be damaged creating a point of attachment that is out of plane. By loading the end of the panel and drawing the panel out of plane, the panel will, over time, likely crack due to the loads created by pushing or pulling the panel to the misaligned stud. If the butt end of the panel is supported by the stud by only a fraction of an inch (a common occurrence) the nail or screw must be installed at an angle, creating further stress on the panel and resulting in cracking. Where wood studs are used, fasteners may be installed at angles to compensate for misalignment. However, for studs that are steel or made of composite materials, fasteners must enter perpendicular to the point of attachment to allow the fastener to drill or penetrate the substrate material.
Finally, to accommodate for material expansion, panel manufacturers often require gapping of the panels of approximately ⅛-inch or moderate contact of the edges. The expansion gap between panels further reduces the area on a panel for attachment to a stud, which creates greater problems achieving an adequate surface for attachment. For a perfect ‘marriage’ of the butt ends, the panel ends must be cut perfectly at a ninety degree angle in the field, which is not always achieved creating a gap between the two panel edges, again reducing the target area of attachment. The reduced area available for attachment requires screw head sizes that must be smaller to minimize the area of ‘boring’ into the panel surface to set the screw flush. Since the screw must be a minimum distance offset from the panel edge, the size of the screw head must remain small. Typical screw head sizes are 0.330 to 0.400-inches.
Thus, there exists a need for a joiner plate or clip that assists in installing and securing panels to a frame and is designed to address framing that is not planar, and for securing fragile panels that can be fractured during installation.